Students Divided Over Selection of Speaker Tyler as Intellectual Discourse Speaker

The University of Liberia on Capitol Hill last Wednesday, January 27 stood still as its made another headline as a result of the speaker presence through the Intellectual Discourse Committee of ULSU interim leadership.Undoubtedly, the University of Liberia as the microcosm of the nation and the highest institution of learning should be the first to set precedents for other universities to emulate. The University of Liberia is the oldest institution of higher learning in tropical Africa which was established by an act of Legislatures of the Republic of Liberia, February 15, 1951 is noted for student politics, national debates and academic excellence. These traits of this institution are inevitable.

Outlining these features which depict the nature of said environment, Students particularly from these various campuses based political parties popularly known as militants, cadres, intellectual paragons, and budding revolutionaries to some extent are not upholding the tenets of good student leadership. There is no doubt that the Future belongs to those who prepare for it.Inorder to realize any good dream there must be a stepping stone. For simplicity of this statement, to earn a college diploma, you must have graduated from high school. To be a politician, you must be involved in political activities. To be an intellectual, you must research. These entire analogies boil down to Newton’s First law of Motion.

Now, permit me through this outlet to disseminate the information that under this interim leadership which was inaugurated on the 17th of July has six different committees to steer the affairs of of the University:

The intellectual discourse and Sports Committees under the student integration movement
The social culture and ULSU scholarship under the directive of the Student Unification Party
The sanitation and Evaluation or academic committees in the hands of the student Democratic Alliance. Boosting the morale of UL squarely lies in each of these committees.Besides, the intellectual discourse committee that is charged with the sole mandate to organize debates for men and women of consciousness drinking from the fountain of knowledge highly described as intellectual prowess feel nostalgic of such an unwelcoming news from UL.Quickly regarding the unwholesome situation created by those students during the presence of the Bomi county lawmaker.

Speaker Tyler was invited by the intellectual discourse committee to speak on critical national issues as well to have a tour on the campus to have a pictorial glance of the campus.

Unfortunately, such visit did not become fully effective due to the abrupt interruption of some disenchanted students raising the debate that the Hon. Tyler is corrupt, lacks moral and as such will not be allowed to desecrate the sanctity of Lux IN Tenebris.These same students in their wisdom further insinuated that the speaker presence there was a provocation to the students on the campus who often go to bed with hunger and anger. Holding constant those points flagged by them in no way substantiated their actions to engage in acts of hooliganism, arrogance and above all sheer misrepresentation of the University.

These disenchanted students as self described need to refrain from such unorthodox behavior which might likely undermine the learning environment of the University. The actions on the part of those young cadres were sharp contradictions of injustice and misrepresentation to men like Samuel Kofi Woods, T.Negbalee Werner, the late Theophilus Berthe, Augustine Ngafuan, Abdullah Tunis, Hon. Commany Wesseh and the many others. This Institution cannot continue such a trend as we get closer to the 2017 elections. National debates must be the hallmark of students’ leaders so that Liberians from diverse backgrounds can discuss issues affecting our lives as a country. Last Week incidence had gone down in history with the nation highest institution of learning been cheaply reduced to a campus of gangsters, bandits, vandals and hooligans. It was so bewildering to see those students in a shambolic fashion venting their anger through insults rather than fiercely engaged the speaker through a decent intellectual bombardment. Such exhibition by you students who took the forefront of recklessly confronting the speaker on that fateful day must remember that whatever goes around comes around. It may be you tomorrow too.

Progressivism of this University can never be realized through act of barbarism, neither throwing of stones nor classical mockery. This same University has been continuously reduced to an epicenter where students on many occasions have been in the habit of insulting, booing their national leaders. The famous adage “Move Or be Removed “ by the late head of state Doe originated as a result of UL students in 1984 when they took the rampage again in defense of Dr.Amos Sawyer of who was then dean of one of the colleges .Doe accused him of plot to overthrow his government. In defense of Dr.Sawyer,students went on booing the late Doe.Let me emphatically reechoed that UL as a conscious terrain need to deviate from those dangerous reckless ramble rabble rousing form of advocacies. The callous call by those students last Wednesday was not nothing like a semblance of social justice, neither political advocacy nor sincere revolutionary call. The selfless fight for social justice is not through social arrogance, the callous call for revolution is not through the means of unnecessary reactions. The fight for survival is not through the infamous Malcolm posture.

As Dr.Martin Luther King rightly put it “hate cannot drive away hate, it is love that can do so, darkness cannot drive away darkness, it is light that can do so. We need to understand that such institution of ours is a land of intelligentsia. And so, students there need to cultivate the mindset that no matter what happens, no matter who is an invited speaker, no matter his background must be accorded full respect to mount the historic podium. Until we desist from this, UL has now been known out there as an abattoir to national leaders instead of an intellectuals ground for them. And finally, I write.

About the Author: Mohammed Salue SY

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